Environmental impact High
Employer/employee ranking 12/21
Staff numbers 230
Energy reduction n/a
Recycling n/a

People at Infinis are encouraged to take their work home with them. The renewable energy company offers grants and loans to staff so they can generate their own power by having a small wind turbine or solar panels installed at home.

Infinis is the UK’s largest generator of purely renewable energy. It generates electricity using special engines to burn the methane released by decomposing waste in landfill sites. In preventing the methane from polluting the atmosphere and generating electricity with it instead, Infinis becomes the only “carbon positive” business on this list. With carbon dioxide — which is 21 times less harmful to the atmosphere than methane — and water as the by-products of the process, Infinis prevents the equivalent of 9m tons of CO2 from getting into the atmosphere each year.

Employees say people at Infinis think green, giving an 82% green score in our survey. The environment is an everyday consideration (80%) and the firm’s environmental commitments are serious (83%).

“We do everything we can at work, but how can we help people in their personal lives? A little push doesn’t do any harm,” says Ewan Campbell-Lendrum, head of health, safety, quality and the environment at the Northampton-based firm. Another “little push” is the provision of grants towards greener cars. Company vehicles are low emission, and staff can use £1,500 of Infinis money to invest in an eco-friendly personal car. The scheme was launched in September last year and 20 of the 230 staff have traded in their gas guzzler.

“I’m not aware of a single business which comes near our carbon positive status,” says Campbell-Lendrum. “The environment is my passion. It makes my heart beat faster.”